Heinrich Schütz, 2024
This Week in Classical Music: October 7, 2024. Schütz and extra. Heinrich Schutz, the best German Renaissance predecessor of Johann Sebastian Bach, was born on October 8th of 1585 in Unhealthy Köstritz, Thuringia. When Heinrich was 5, his household moved to Weissenfels, the place his father inherited an inn and have become a mayor. Heinrich demonstrated musical expertise from a really early age. In 1598, Maurice, the landgrave of Hesse-Kasse, a tiny principality then a part of the Holy Roman Empire, stayed in a single day within the household inn and heard Heinrich sing. Maurice, himself a musician and composer, was so impressed that he invited Heinrich to his court docket to review music and additional his schooling (whereas on the court docket, Heinrich realized a number of languages, together with Latin, Greek and French). Heinrich sang as a choir boy until his voice broke after which went to review legislation at Marburg. In 1609 he traveled to Venice to review music with Giovanni Gabrieli. Regardless that Gabrieli was 28 years older than Schütz, they grew to become shut mates (Gabrieli left him certainly one of his rings when he died). The grasp died in 1612 and Schütz returned to Kassel. In 1614 the Elector of Saxony requested Schütz to come back to Dresden. The well-known Michael Praetorius was nominally accountable for music-making on the court docket however he had different duties, so the elector was involved in Schütz’s service. Schütz moved to Dresden completely in 1615. In 1619 he obtained the title of Hofkapellmeister. Quickly after he printed his first main work, Psalmen Davids (Psalms of David), a set of 26 settings of psalms influenced, as one can hear, by Gabrieli. Right here’s Psalm 128, “Wohl dem, der den Herren fürchte.” Cantus Cölln and Concerto Palatino are performed by Konrad Junghänel.
Schütz lived in Dresden for the remainder of his life, making periodic prolonged journeys: in 1628 he went to Venice the place he met Claudio Monteverdi who grew to become an enormous affect. He additionally made a number of journeys to Copenhagen, composing for the royal court docket. Schütz lived a protracted life: he died on November 6th of 1672 on the age of 87. Schütz composed largely sacred choral music, though in 1627 he wrote what is taken into account the primary German opera, Dafne. Regardless that the libretto survived, the rating was misplaced years in the past. Right here’s certainly one of Schütz’s Kleine Geistliche Konzerte (Little Sacred Concertos), composed in 1636. It’s referred to as Bone Jesu Verbum Patris (Good Jesus, phrase of the Father). Tölzer Knabenchors is performed by Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden.
Additionally this week: Giulio Caccini, a vital, if largely forgotten Italian composer of the transitional interval between the Renaissance and the Baroque, was born on October 8th of 1551, in all probability in Rome. A very talked-about “Ave Maria,” attributed to Caccini, was written by Vladimir Vavilov, a Russian guitarist, lutenist, composer and musical prankster who printed a number of compositions ascribing them to composes of various eras. In 1970 Melodia issued an LP, “The Lute Music of the 16th and 17th Centuries” carried out by Vavilov. Eight out of ten items had been composed by him reasonably than composers indicated on the sleeve. Francesco da Milano, a lutenist and composer of the early 16th century, was Vavilov’s “favourite”: he composed six items, together with a broadly carried out “Canzona,” and attributed all of them to the Italian.
